- Admission process
- Lists of foreign citizens eligible to participate in our competitive admission process
- Visa processing
- Procedures for recognizing foreign educational documents
- Events (such as presentations, olympiads, competitions, online courses)
- Programmes taught in foreign languages
Can be found on the Admissions Committee website
Admission of international students
Detailed information on:
All foreign citizens arriving in St Petersburg are required to complete a migration registration process. This can be done in two ways depending on your living arrangements — whether you’re staying in a hall of residence or in an apartment, hostel, or hotel:
Migration registration
If you're planning to live somewhere other than the University hall of residence, such as a hotel or rented apartment, the property owner or hostel/hotel administration will handle your migration registration.
Don’t forget to promptly inform the passport and visa department about your arrival in Russia (via email at pvo@spbu.ru) and send a copy of your migration card. Once you’ve completed all other necessary documents (private address migration registration, voluntary medical insurance policy), immediately send their copies to the passport and visa department.
Remember, migration registration must be carried out only at your actual place of residence through authorized organizations (Department of Migration Affairs of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia, Multifunctional Public Services Centers). Registration through third-party organizations is illegal.
Don’t forget to promptly inform the passport and visa department about your arrival in Russia (via email at pvo@spbu.ru) and send a copy of your migration card. Once you’ve completed all other necessary documents (private address migration registration, voluntary medical insurance policy), immediately send their copies to the passport and visa department.
Remember, migration registration must be carried out only at your actual place of residence through authorized organizations (Department of Migration Affairs of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia, Multifunctional Public Services Centers). Registration through third-party organizations is illegal.
APARTMENT / HOTEL / HOSTEL
HALL OF RESIDENCE
IMPORTANT
- Within two days of crossing the border, notify the passport and visa department (pvo@spbu.ru) and the academic department of your arrival
- Register for migration on time
- Obtain a voluntary medical insurance policy (VMI) and send a copy to the passport and visa department (pvo@spbu.ru) and the academic department
- Submit documents for extending your stay or visa no later than 20 business days before the expiration of the current term
- Inform the passport and visa department (pvo@spbu.ru) and the academic department about any changes in details (documents, contacts)
- Follow the recommendations of the Federal Service for Surveillance on Consumer Rights Protection and Human Wellbeing (Rospotrebnadzor) for the prevention of the new coronavirus infection in higher education institutions
If you're residing in a University Hall of Residence, please visit the passport and visa department no later than three business days after your arrival. You’ll need to provide the following documents:
- Lease agreement
- Passport, along with a copy that includes all stamps
- Migration card (if available) and its copy
SPbU PASSPORT AND VISA DEPARTMENT
St. Petersburg, Universitetskaya Emb., 7−9b (Rector's Wing), Room 102, Tel. +7 (812) 363-64-03
Peterhof, Botanicheskaya Street, 66, Building 2 (hall of residence № 10), Room 103, Tel. +7 (812) 363-64-07
All foreign citizens applying to SPbU and registering must purchase a voluntary medical insurance policy, and possess vaccination records translated into Russian and notarized.
Medical services for international students
- Annual preventive medical examination, including specialist consultations (therapist, ophthalmologist, otolaryngologist, surgeon, cardiologist, neurologist, gynecologist/urologist), clinical and biochemical blood tests, HIV test form F-50, syphilis test, hepatitis blood tests, chest X-ray or fluorography, ECG (if necessary, EchoCG and ultrasound)
- Consultation with an infectious diseases specialist upon admission to the educational institution
- Outpatient and polyclinic diagnostic and treatment care, primary medical and sanitary care, and specialized outpatient consultative care (therapy, neurology, surgery, ophthalmology, gynecology, urology, otolaryngology, infectious diseases)
- Home doctor visits
- Inpatient care — emergency hospitalization in city hospitals
- In the case of severe pathology or life-threatening injury, repatriation to your home country at the insurance company’s expense
If the insurance program does not include these points, these medical services will be provided on a paid basis.
When purchasing voluntary medical insurance policies, please note that the insurance program should include the following points:
SPbU International Students Club
If you require consultation or assistance, simply send your request to our club's email (sovetkio@spbu.ru) or message us on our VKontakte group.
This club is specially designed for you, our international students at SPbU. Here, you can find the information you need about your stay at the University and in Russia.
The club's staff is dedicated to understanding and meeting your needs, participating in the development of measures to enhance your stay, and offering consultations and help whenever needed.
The club's staff is dedicated to understanding and meeting your needs, participating in the development of measures to enhance your stay, and offering consultations and help whenever needed.
Any student is welcome to contribute questions to our meeting agenda, attend meetings, propose ideas, and even become an organizer or participant in events.
Student Exchange Programme
Our student exchange program is available to students from SPbU partner universities who plan to spend one or two semesters at SPbU. Tuition is waived under bilateral cooperation agreements.
Invitations letters to enter the territory of the Russian Federation
In the event that an invitation letter to enter the Russian Federation is required, foreign nationals should contact the educational administration of SPbU in charge of their study direction either in person or (pvo@spbu.ru) or through the student’s personal account.
If a foreign citizen intends to apply for a Russian visa in a country other than their home country, they are required to provide a copy of their residency permit or multiple entry visa along with the original notarized translation of the presented document (the document should be valid for at least 6 months after the expiry date of the future Russian visa).
In the case of processing an invitation through the Migration Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia for St Petersburg and the Leningrad region, the applicant must provide a payment order for the state fee for processing an invitation to enter the territory of the Russian Federation for each foreign citizen for all purposes of travel, except for the purpose of entry on a student visa. The processing time is 1 month from the date of submission of documents to the territorial subdivision of the Migration Department.
New Rules of Entry to Russia
You can log into the ruID app using your Gosuslugi username and password. If you don’t yet have a Gosuslugi account, you can register during your first login to the app or in advance via the Gosuslugi portal.
- If a foreign national does not enter Russia within 90 days, the procedure must be repeated by submitting a new application.
- For children aged 6 to 18, the application must be submitted by their legal representatives.
- No QR code will be issued if the foreign national is subject to an entry ban to Russia.
- Following categories of foreigners do not need to obtain a QR code:
- Citizens of the Republic of Belarus;
- Foreign nationals holding a temporary residence permit (TRP), temporary residence permit for education (TRPE), permanent residence permit (PRP), or valid Russian visa;
- Diplomats and their family members;
- Employees of accredited international organisations and their representative offices in Russia.
From 30 June 2025 to 30 June 2026, an experimental entry/exit procedure will be implemented at all Russian border checkpoints. Its objective is to establish a digital profile for every foreign national entering the country.
The ruID application is mandatory for all foreign citizens and stateless persons entering Russia under visa-free regime.
The ruID application is mandatory for all foreign citizens and stateless persons entering Russia under visa-free regime.
RuID app allows you to
- submit an application to enter Russia;
- use services for foreign nationals (for example, book an appointment with the Ministry of Internal Affairs or obtain medical insurance), and also check whether you are in the register of controlled persons;
- receive service notifications in your personal account;
- present a QR-code generated in the app after border crossing and verification of your Gosuslugi account. When required, it must be presented together with your identity document.
Please note:
What to Do Before Your Trip?
- Download the ruID app (available on App Store, Google Play, RuStore, and AppGallery).
- Register in the Unified Identification and Authentication System (ESIA) via the app, providing your passport details and individual insurance account number — SNILS (if you don’t have a SNILS, it will be generated automatically). After registration, you will have an ESIA account, which must be verified upon arrival in Russia.
- Upload a photo and biometrics (facial scan) in the app.
- At least 72 hours before your trip, submit an online entry application (valid for 90 days) and receive a QR code.
Step-by-Step Procedure
- Biometric data registered in the Unified Biometric System (UBS), which can be submitted at a bank
- The device’s IMEI number (obtained by dialling *#06# and pressing the call button; the code displayed on-screen is the IMEI. If the smartphone supports dual SIM cards, two codes will appear)
Prepare the Required Documents and Information
- A valid identity document
- A notarised translation of the foreign national’s passport
- SNILS (Russian Individual Insurance Account Number)
- The email address registered on the 'Gosuslugi' portal
- A verified 'Gosuslugi' account
Procedure for Obtaining a SIM Card
Visit a Mobile Network Operator’s Office, present the required documents to the representative. Please note that if more than 10 SIM cards have already been registered under your name, the issuance of an additional one will be denied.
Verify Your Identity via Biometric Authentication. This can be done either at the mobile operator’s office or through the 'Gosuslugi' portal.
For foreign nationals and stateless persons wishing to acquire a SIM card, it is necessary to possess a verified account on the 'Gosuslugi' (State Services) portal as well as biometric data registered at a bank.
A SIM card can only be obtained through an in-person application. Additionally, a mobile service contract may only be concluded from the age of 14.
A SIM card can only be obtained through an in-person application. Additionally, a mobile service contract may only be concluded from the age of 14.
